Highlights from Thursday's Big East Conference Call

"Last night’s game [the loss to Cincinnati] was a little different than what we’ve played. We beat a really good West Virginia team last week and went to Notre Dame and broke a 29-game winning streak they had. Quite frankly we were very focused. Last night, Cincinnati, A. played terrific, B. We did no focus in until late in the game, came back from a 12-point deficit, tied the game with eight seconds to go and they hit a buzzer beater."

"Cincinnati, I think, found itself since the incident with Xavier. There’s no question in my mind that they’re one of the toughest teams in our league and they’ll be a tough out for anybody. They can power you some and of course they can spread out and go four guards."

"That’s what this league is about, night after night you have to get out and you have to invest in every single game. Last night we lacked a little something that quite frankly Cincinnati had."

"Going forward, Shabazz [Napier] had 27 last night. I thought he was terrific. … Jeremy [Lamb] is going through a bit of a difficult time right now. We’ve got to get him on track."

"Andre Drummond, after three double-doubles in a row, just did not have a good game, nor did Alex [Oriakhi] last night."

"We’re still [one of the] youngest teams in the country. Although I keep telling the kids, there is no young team an longer, not with 12 games left to play."

On Syracuse:

"Jim [Boeheim] has done a masterful job. It’s not a great surprise. He’s a great friend of mine, but beyond that he’s a tremendous, tremendous basketball coach. … He has all his attention, as well I knew he would, in to his basketball team. Quite frankly, for a lot of coaches, myself included, the respite you get from the storm outside is right in that gym. And Jim’s done a masterful job, obviously.

On Tennessee:

"They’re still very athletic, they’re still very dangerous. I don’t know that they’re totatly different. Clearly, I have no doubt that they’re a team on the rise. … I think that taking over a program is always difficult. Bruce [Pearl] was very, very successful there. I don’t have any doubt that [Cuonzo Martin] will get them going. I always really liked [Cuonzo]. I think he’s done a tremendous job there and I just think it’s matter of time… they have too many good players not to be good in the future. I just think it’s difficult for them. You watch the Kentucky game, the Georgia overtime…yuou watch game. They were right there with everybody they played."

On winning on road:

"I have always felt that winning on the road is always a positive thing. We went down to USF –who’s a 11-7 right now, but a very dangerous team down in Florida – we beat them. Winning road on the begets winning on the road. We’ve been I think over 25 years the best road team in the Big East, along with Syracuse….The team that feeds off some road wins it does give you – does it give you a hand up in a particular game? No, but it give you a comfortavble feeling that your going to be successful and have a chance to win any place you play."